"By both of you," Siri said meaningfully, her gaze boring into Phlog, who towered several meters over her blond head.

The Phlog hesitated. He was not accustomed to apologizing for his temper. Even with a lightsaber centimeters from his neck.

For a moment, it seemed that the Phlog would launch an attack on Siri.

She was ready.

By now Obi-Wan and Anakin had snaked through the crowd and were standing by, close enough to spring forward if needed. With a look, Obi-Wan told Anakin to hang back.

Ferus Olin stepped forward. "Think twice, my friend," he said in a soft tone. "Then think again."

Anakin saw the admiration on his Master's face at the coolness of Ferus's approach. A flare of jealousy rose inside him. Ferus always knew the right thing to say and the right way to say it. Ferus was only two years older than Anakin, but he was known for his maturity.

"Well, well, my fault," the Phlog said in false cheerfulness. "Let me buy you another juice."

He bent over the small Ortolan and led him into the cafc.

Siri deactivated her lightsaber. "There. Everyone is sorry. Incident over." Her clear voice sailed out over the crowd. "We can all get back to what we were doing."

The crowd that had been eager to witness a brawl suddenly melted away.

Siri caught sight of Obi-Wan.

"Just a minute too late, as usual," she said.

"We were just waiting to see how you'd handle it," Obi-Wan answered.

"I always wanted to see you go against a Phlog."

Anakin watched Obi-Wan and Siri. A stranger would never know that they were old friends.

He nodded a greeting at Ferus, who nodded stiffly back. There was no need to pretend that they liked each other. Ferus had warned him once that he did not trust him and would keep an eye on him. This had infuriated Anakin, and he still wasn't over it. He had let his anger go, but his resentment still simmered. He knew how a Jedi was supposed to handle that, but he couldn't.